A few days ago I had the opportunity to see the National Constitution Center’s traveling exhibit “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” during its stay at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville. It’s a fine piece of interpretation, analyzing the thorny constitutional issues Lincoln faced during his presidency.

The Knoxville version of the exhibit features supplementary material from historical collections in Tennessee, including the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Harrogate, where I used to work. Some of this stuff is usually locked away in the vault out of public view. They’ve also included a section on Lincoln’s relationship with Tennessean Andrew Johnson.

The East Tennessee Historical Society is one of my favorite public history institutions. Anything they undertake is definitely worth your time, so stop by and see this exhibit if you get the chance. And while you’re there, you can take in their fantastic permanent exhibit, which covers the history of this region from prehistory to the modern era.